Daryl Wood's Blog

What if we all came with labels the way our packages arrive? What if no one ever had to guess what is going on with us or how to greet us because we had clearly marked messages right up front.

Yesterday a beautiful flower arrangement arrived from my daughter and son-in-law. All these messages pasted on the box told me exactly what to expect and how to handle the package. I followed the instructions and unwrapped a lovely display of bright coloured flowers. Since I was all bundled up on my way out for a walk when I discovered the box at the door, I might have given it a toss onto the indoor bench and not paid much attention to how I moved it. But of course, the labels were easy to see and I knew what to do.

Imagine meeting someone and the first thing you notice is a “Fragile” sign. Or maybe “Handle With Care”? Or any other possible message that alerted you to a difficult state of mind? I wonder how many times we greet someone casually and move along not knowing what is happening in their world. And we don’t always need to or want to. But sometimes we do.

Sometimes if we look deliberately we can tell from someone’s eyes or facial features what might be going on with them. Some of us can tell ‘energetically’ that something is ‘off’. It’s not just that rushing through our days keeps us from recognizing something in others. Walking through life, most of us interact with lots of people on a daily basis. Some we know. Some we don’t. Sometimes we want to engage and sometimes we don’t.

And it’s not all gloom and doom. What if we saw someone coming down the grocery aisle with a big “Happy and Content” sign hanging around their neck. I’m smiling just thinking about it. I am imaging having a box of cards on lanyards at the door that I can put on when I leave the house so that people will know what I’m feeling that day. Sometimes when I greet the friendly staff at my grocery store they don’t know who is showing up – the sad, grieving Daryl, or the bouncy, excitable Daryl. I’m pretty quick to let them know so we can still have a hug to share whatever it is.

Since we all carry ‘signs’ of what we are feeling and knowing that most are pretty subtle it boils down to one plain truth. Just be kind. Be kind enough to laugh out loud, grin from ear to ear, listen with enthusiasm. Be kind enough to share a tear, stand still for as long as it takes, listen with compassion. Labels or not, we can all make the world a better place with kindness.